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Angel In Black
With credit to Firey for helping me with the idea :) ANGEL IN BLACK CAN YOU TRUST HIM? Blurb Spottedpaw was quiet, shy, and secluded- on border patrols she keeps her mouth shut and her head low. Some say it's her nature... but it's more than that. When she is lured out of her shell by a mysterious loner tom named Archimedes, and begins to feel how it was before the mess, before she lost her trust. But then she learns that behind the Clan Entrance lies danger, and behind she shadowed tom lies a secret. And now she must make a choice- to trust Archimedes or let her clan fall apart. PROLOGUE “Mom?!” Dot stumbled around in the dark on tiny paws, green eyes wide in terror, the only light coming from the flames that were growing larger. The smoke around her was closing in, getting darker was she desperately searched for her mother in the darkness of the house, trying to once again catch the familiar scent of her family. She once again tried to remember what it was like to curl up next to her owner and not get shoved off the couch or smacked, or be held in the loving embrace of her mother when she didn't have to constantly pace about to protect them all from their crazed owner, Isabelle. She felt the memories of her three siblings, slipping into the maw of the fire. Dot wanted to reach out with her paw and grasp them, hold on to them, but instinct drove her away. Isabelle used to be so friendly, with her mate, and us together. Now he's not allowed to enter the house... and now Isabelle is trying to kill whatever is left in this house. Her thoughts were the only thing that drove her forward. She couldn't think aloud, she could hardly call out, for the smoke was getting worse. The heat and ash seemed to keep her in a chokehold, the roar of the flames screaming in her ears. She desperately searched for a way out of the house, out the yard, where she could finally breathe…. She was coughing violently as she hit her head on something, the acrid taste of blood in her mouth and her tiny body quivering in fear. She was going to die. She felt her legs crumple and her lungs cry out weakly for air. “Mom…” I… I can’t stop crying… Mom? Dad?” Her teary eyes blurred her vision as she fell to the floor, trying to cry but unable to breathe. The fire was coming for her, the hot searing tongues licking at the walls, and she felt one touch her fur. She felt herself be lifted up, almost floating. I knew it. She closed her eyes. I’m dead. She felt the air swish past her ears. I’m only… four moons… “Dot!” A voice screamed her name. Her sore eyes shot open, the blur of the burning house before her. “My… my home… Isabelle… I loved her…” The tiny kit spluttered out words, trying to comprehend what had happened that night. The images stained her mind as the soot stained her golden pelt- the bruises left on her fragile body, the screaming from her beloved owner, Isabelle, then a smash. She could still feel the shards of glass hitting her, the beads of blood forming under the marks. She coughed harshly. “Breathe…” A voice gently called to her. She looked up to see a blurry figure shielding her, covering her in a comforting shade. “Am I… dead?” Dot croaked. “No,” the voice said again. It was deep, but still full of youth. “You’ll be okay.” She tried to look at the cat standing above her, but the fatigue she felt was too great. She could sense that her protector was growing tired too. He slumped low, still covering her. Something dripped on Dot’s face. Blood? “Mom… Dad…” “Hush.” ---- “Rose, we have to get out…” Dot could hear, but couldn’t see. Her protector was now laying on top of her, and she could feel his attempts to stand. There was something wrong with him. A warm liquid slowly seeped into her fur near her mouth. The all-familiar taste of blood. “Steel, the kits…” “Take them… raise them there. Then we…” Dot’s hearing was suddenly fuzzy, fizzling out. She flicked her ears, trying to hear the exchange between her parents. “Not taking… away… Clan…” “No, Rose, we must…” There was a yowl of panic from her father Steel, as Dot felt herself be lifted by her mother, Rose. As she swayed about, half-unconscious, Dot knocked into a furry, squirming mass beside her. This was no doubt one of her siblings, but which one? And where were the other two? There was a familiar sounding snarl as something toppled her mother to the ground. She was flung to the right, and she skidded to a halt. She looked up to find her dad slashing at her mother. She was too tired. She closed her eyes and was lost in a quiet darkness, hoping to wait out the storm... After a while, she felt herself be set down. Opening her eyes, she looked up to find the world was still a blur, and her father was simply a bright silver glare. "What did you do... to her..." The kit croaked. “It’s alright,” came Steel’s deep, albeit hoarse, voice. “We’re safe. Safe now. But we need to be quiet." Dot felt her father’s tongue caress her head, licking off whatever substance was on it. “I’ll take you to… raise you there… humans were never… trusting…” He was breathing heavily, as if the words were taxing him. “Your mother wasn’t…” He stopped with a gasp of pain. Dot heard it all and began to panic. “Isabelle…” Dot whimpered. “Why did she throw that bottle? Then the candle fell, and then the fire.” “It wasn’t the bottle…” Dot saw her father suddenly look up, and she could sense he was nervous. "Daddy... please.. where is mom? Why isn't she here?" Dot began to sob, trying to hold it back but choking on her sobs. They echoed in fear and longing for the horrible dream to end. Steel began to hush her, his yellow, tired eyes darting wildly around, looking for something. Something he feared. "Mom, dad... please!" And someone heard her cry. “Dot, it was… what was in the bottle.” Dot gasped and tried to stand, but she was too weak and limped over in defeat. Her father’s words had become rushed, like he was about to run. “She… drank the bad water!” Suddenly, she felt someone try to bite her scruff, most likely to carry her off, but missed. Teeth scraped clumsily along her head and neck. "YOU WILL NOT TAKE THEM!" Dot was too tired and afraid to know who's voice it was. There was a yowl as Steel's silver blur whizzed like a comet and toppled the yellowish cat attempting to pick her up. As her father pinned the cat to the ground, she caught a whiff of scent underneath the smell of smoke. Mom. Dad is attacking mom. The decision she made in her head about the situation made her break out in tears. "Mom! Run! GET AWAY!" More scuffling, then a ripping and a terrible screech. She then felt herself being dragged away, into the brush. A voice came from where the fight was. It wasn't any voice she recognized; it sounded like ice cracking. “You… will not take them… from ME!” Dot went numb. Mom... Mom is dead! There was also a voice from behind her, as it pulled on her scruff, gently now. “They were never trustworthy…” Dot began to sob. The thing that had dragged her had run off, leaving her alone, cold, to fend for herself. Like everyone else. Too weak to move, she curled up in a ball and shivered, hoping and praying that it was all a dream. Soot stained her white and yellow pelt. It seemed to be almost winking at her with soulless eyes, spreading on her fur, forcing her to remember the horrid night. She still heard Steel’s voice echoing in her head like a ghostly chime, haunting her with visions of her dead mother. “She drank the bad water!” CHAPTER 1 Spottedpaw woke up in a cold sweat, her fur matted some and her heart thumping in her ears. She stared at the yellowish spots and speckles on her pelt, inspecting them for any traces of the soot or the smoke in her dream. Other than being a bit ruffled, there was so sign of fire anywhere on her pelt. Nightmares like this weren’t uncommon, in fact the horrid memories happened almost every night, in short bursts or in long, disturbingly detailed ones such as this. She looked around the apprentice den. It was quiet, peaceful, settling her down. The only loud sound she heard was her heart slowing down to its normal pace. There was something about the coming of Fallingleaf that reached into the back of her mind, bringing back everything that happened since she was a kit. This had been happening every time the leaves began to change. It was a scary time of year, and the dreams were growing more intense. When the colors on the trees become brighter, it seemed that her visions get darker. They brought back things she wanted to forget. But she knew it would stop soon, as when the leaves fell, one by one the dreams went with it. They would ever so slowly trickle away as if it were a river, smoothing out the rough stones of her memory and bringing her tranquility. The first snow is when they froze, and stayed that way until the next Fallingleaf. It will end, she thought. Winter is coming early. “Not another nightmare, Spottedpaw,” a voice came from her right. The she-cat grinned. “Lilypaw.” she sighed in relief. With her friend around, she felt safe. The grey and white tabby now sat down with her at her nest, and they began sharing tongues to smooth out the ruffled fur. Lilypaw was always there for her. She was the first cat that gave her a chance in Oakclan; the one that put her mostly back together when she was nearly broken. She seemed to fill a bit of the void left by her past. Spottedpaw's ears turned red. “Did I wake you up?” “No,” Lilypaw replied. “But I heard you yelping from outside.” “I was afraid all of Oakclan could hear my dream.” “Well, they didn’t, so calm down. You’re doing that digging thing with your claws again.” Spottedpaw looked down to find her claws unsheathed, kneading at the ground. She hid her claws and grumbled. “I just don’t get it. Why do the memories always happen only near and at Fallingleaf?” “Maybe the events happened at this time,” Lilypaw now began cleaning her own grey pelt. “Are you sure they don’t happen any other time of year?” “No,” Spottedpaw replied. “I’m certain. I usually don’t remember dreams unless they’re nightmares, like these.” She turned her head down and closed her eyes, attempting to erase the memory. It slipped into the back of her mind, but it left a ghostly whisper in her ears. She rubbed a paw on her nose, trying not to cry at that very moment. You can't show weakness, she hissed to herself. It makes you vulnerable. “Hmm…” Lilypaw ceased her grooming. She nuzzled her friend. “It’s best not to dwell on the past. Look outside! There’s more to do then just think about it.” Spottedpaw was still a bit shaken, so she shrugged. “Come on, let’s go get something to eat. Maybe you’re just hungry.” Lilypaw urged gently. Spottedpaw stretched elaborately, and silently acquiesced with a nod. Lilypaw smiled. “Alright. But we might want to get you to Yarrowtail later. He can get you some poppy seeds.” “I’ll be fine.” Spottedpaw quickly reassured. She didn’t want to go to sleep more than she needed to. ---- The two were soon at the fresh kill pile. Spottedpaw bit into a fresh vole, the warm rodent giving her great comfort. As beautiful as it was outside, it was quite chilly. Nonetheless, the sun was glowing and illuminating the leaves. Leaffall was here, with the colors stretching out to embrace the other trees, draping them in orange, gold and red. It brought Spottedpaw some peace but it mostly brought her dread. For the colors were getting stronger. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of black and silver. Dreamcatcher was carrying her adopted daughter Mintkit in her mouth by the tiny kit’s scruff. “But Dreamcatcher!” Mintkit wriggled. “I want to see the woods! It’s so pretty out and…” “I’ve told you before,” Dreamcatcher said in a dangerous tone, which was rare for her shy nature, “You are not to run out of camp on your own until you are older.” Mintkit scoffed. “But what about Lilypaw and Spottedpaw? They get to go on border patrols!” “Yes, but with warriors at their side.” She mumbled as she entered the kit’s den. “I’m not risking another badger attack.” “She seems a bit stressed.” Spottedpaw turned to Lilypaw, who was equally surprised at the agitated black and silver queen. “Well, ever since her parents death with the badgers,” the grey tabby said quietly, “she’s been so miserable and quiet. And now she’s fostering her sister’s kits.” “Yeah…” the yellowish she-cat mumbled, and swallowed the rest of her vole. “And then there was the border skirmish.” Dreamcatcher was now near them at the fresh kill pile, and Spottedpaw clamped her mouth shut. “Hi, Dreamcatcher,” Lilypaw purred to the quiet she-cat, she looked up in surprise at her greeting. “Oh, um… h-hi, hello.” Dreamcatcher stuttered. She glanced nervously at Spottedpaw, and they both glanced away. An awkward silence followed. As Dreamcatcher worked on a mouse, Spottedpaw noticed that she had her ears tipped slightly towards them. As if she knew they were talking about her. She knows. She's not deaf. She hissed to herself. Another reason to keep your trap shut. Both Spottedpaw and Dreamcatcher had pasts, and they both weren't good pasts, either. They both knew what pain meant. With one glance at each other, they both wordlessly signaled that staying silent was the best thing in this case-or in any case. If it was one thing they had both learned, it was that silence was a virtue- and without silence, the words will tear your life apart. Her own heartbeat was all Spottedpaw heard. “So, do you… want to join us for fishing?” It was Lilypaw. She gave Spottedpaw a knowing look and flicked her tail. Breaking the silence, she seemed to say. Spottedpaw was relieved. Lilypaw seemed to say the things she wished she could say. Dreamcatcher looked up at the two and sighed. “Sure. Another queen is looking after the kits, so I have some time.” “Good! You can stretch your legs again.” Lilypaw started off, and the other two followed blindly. What better have I to do? Spottedpaw thought to herself. Perhaps the water will calm myself down before I sleep. Before long they were in the water, catching fish and cleaning themselves. Dreamcatcher seemed to enjoy it, for she hadn’t been out of the kit’s den in so long. Spottedpaw enjoyed it too, the surprisingly warm water seemed to wash away her problems. She began to exhibit her nervous tick and began to dig at the pebbles in the water with her claws, as if she were digging up the problems from the back of her mind. One pebble escaped under her paw, flowing downstream. One problem washed away. The fire. Another flew away with the current. The death of mom. Four more were picked up by her claws and disappeared. Dad, and my siblings who I never got to know. The pebbles tumbled gently away, and fell into the glittering stream until it was an invisible nothing. If only it were that easy.